Thoughts of a Rose
by Sargent Snarky
Summary: Musings of Blackrose sometime during the third game... ONESHOT


Thoughts of a Rose… By Sargent Snarky 

_Disclaimer: I do not own the .hack franchise. Whatever gave you that idea?_

_Summary: Blackrose's thoughts and reflections sometime during the third game. One Shot._

_Note: Look… This just popped into my mind, and it's pretty much exactly a page, minus the notes, title and whatnot. So.. enjoy?_

_Please tell me what you think in a _**review**

_Depending on the reaction I receive, I may do random snippits of other character's thoughts. Elk, for example, or… Nuke Usagumi. Or Terajima Ryoko. Or Sanjuro… or something… yes…. -.-_

* * *

He's there… on that hospital bed. My little kid brother, Kazu. He seems so small and frail hidden there under the crisp, sterile white sheets, amid the tangle of tubes, wires and machines that work to keep him alive. The respirator, which keeps his lungs working, hisses and clicks, though I've tuned it out. The monitor of his heart and brain waves beeps a steady rhythm in time to his heartbeat, but that, too, I've tuned out. The IV tube trickling nutrients into his bloodstream drips, but it is silent. In all, it is a rather depressing sight, and I long for the day that I can see Kaz awake and alive again, even if he does spend the majority of his time being a pest.

It's funny; Before he fell into a coma, I would have given almost _anything_ to get rid of him. But, now that he _is_ in a coma, now that he no longer comes sneaking into my room, no longer steals my things just to vex me, and no longer spends his time pestering me, I'd give _anything_ to get him back. As I said: funny.

Another thing… Before, I used to have little interest in video games. I don't know why, precisely. Maybe it was because Kaz loved them so much that I felt it would be stupid to play them…. 'cause then I'd have to play with him, right? And… we were too old to play with each other anymore. Or, at least that was our excuse.

Anyway, now, look at me! I spend as much time as I can online, playing The World, or following some information thread in an effort to find some clue that might help us find a way to save the people like my brother. And, while we have made a lot of progress, we're still a ways away, I think… Kite and I, I mean.

Heh. I feel kind of guilty now, because I still take time to go to tennis practice, the matches, and do my homework… time that I _could_ spend inching closer to a solution. That's another weird thing. I never thought I'd feel guilty for those things. School, tennis. They just aren't things you _should_ feel guilty about, you know?

But at the same time, I feel guilty for shirking them. I have been cutting corners with my schoolwork, and some of my teachers have noticed. Luckily, I haven't been slipping enough to merit a note to my parents or something like that… yet. I have come rather close to falling asleep in class, though.

Hopefully I've got enough stamina to keep going. I _better_ not be close to the breaking point. What would Kite do with out me? He's got _enough_ to deal with as it is, plus he spends even more time than I do playing The World. Based on the way he's been recently, I'd say he hasn't been getting enough sleep by any means. Furthermore, the other day, Elk said something about Kite looking really exhausted lately and not doing so well in school. He must be letting his grades slip more than I am…. Poor kid.

(Oh yeah, I never said: Apparently, those two attend the same school, though they're about a year apart. Weird, huh?)

Speaking of Kite… here's an email from him, asking to meet him in the  (sigma) root town. Guess I'd better go… Maybe he's found something!

* * *

The End, I guess. This doesn't fit in with the jovial nature of my one-shot series Close Incouters of the Bizarre Kind, so it gets its own spot. If you want me to reply to your review, though, say so, and leave an email address.

And, incase the formatting got messed up, the little symbol before (sigma) is indeed -supposed- to be Sigma. As in the greek letter. Whether it'll actually show up or not...


End file.
